Lane Kiffin’s highly anticipated return to Oxford had everything expected from a top-10 SEC rivalry game: hostility, drama, momentum swings and a finish that came down to the final possession.
Unfortunately for Kiffin and the No. 7 LSU Tigers, it ended with the Ole Miss Rebels celebrating.
No. 8 Ole Miss built a commanding 17-point halftime advantage, survived a furious LSU comeback and responded with the decisive touchdown drive to defeat the Tigers 32-24 inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The loss dropped LSU to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while Ole Miss improved to 3-0.
“Credit to them. They played really well, especially early. We did not start very well at all, but I thought our guys showed a lot of character to come back and tie the game.”
LSU HC Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was the difference-maker. The former Division II transfer completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns before using his legs to score the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels controlled the game from the beginning. Lucas Carneiro opened the scoring with a 37-yard field goal before Kewan Lacy finished a 78-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run, giving Ole Miss a 10-0 first-quarter lead.
LSU’s offense struggled to generate anything early as Ole Miss consistently won on first and second down, forcing quarterback Sam Leavitt and the Tigers into uncomfortable third-and-long situations. Meanwhile, Chambliss continued picking apart LSU’s secondary with quick throws and timely downfield shots.
Chambliss connected with Traylon Ray for a 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter, stretching the advantage to 17-0.
LSU finally found a spark behind running back Dilin Jones. The Tigers put together a physical 17-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Jones powering into the end zone from two yards out.
Just when it appeared LSU had gained momentum before halftime, Ole Miss answered. Chambliss marched the Rebels 75 yards in less than two minutes and found Deuce Alexander for a 20-yard touchdown with only five seconds remaining. Instead of entering halftime down by 10, the Tigers went into the locker room trailing 24-7.
Kiffin pointed to LSU’s poor start and costly mistakes as the biggest reasons his team spent the entire second half trying to recover.
“We did some dumb things. You can’t do those things against a really good team on the road and expect to win.”
LSU HC Lane Kiffin
The Tigers looked like a completely different team after halftime.
LSU’s defense shut out Ole Miss during the third quarter, while the offense leaned on Jones and Leavitt’s mobility. Leavitt capped LSU’s first scoring drive of the half with a four-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 24-14. The defense set up the second touchdown as a blitz from Ty Benefield forced an interception from Ja’Keem Jackson.
After Ole Miss missed a 53-yard field goal, LSU struck again. Leavitt completed passes of 19 yards to Winnie Watkins Jr. and 23 yards to Trey’Dez Green before finding Watkins for a 26-yard touchdown on third-and-13. Suddenly, a game Ole Miss had dominated was down to three points.
Scott Starzyk’s 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter completed LSU’s comeback and tied the game at 24.
“I was really proud of the way our players responded. A lot of teams would have folded in that environment, down 24-7, but our guys didn’t. They kept competing and gave us a chance to win the game at the end.”
LSU HC Lane Kiffin
The Tigers had scored 17 unanswered points and appeared to have all the momentum. Chambliss, however, delivered when the Rebels needed him most.
Playing without Lacy, who exited with a shoulder injury, Chambliss directed a 13-play, 75-yard drive. He finished it by faking the handoff, reversing direction and beating Benefield to the pylon for a 14-yard touchdown. Ole Miss added the two-point conversion to reclaim a 32-24 lead with 6:14 remaining.
LSU still had one final opportunity.
Leavitt guided the Tigers 69 yards and reached the Ole Miss six-yard line. On third down, he missed an open Zach Grace near the goal line. His fourth-down pass then deflected off defensive end Kam Franklin’s helmet and landed in the hands of Jaylon Braxton in the end zone, sealing the Rebels’ victory.
“We had our chances. We got all the way down there at the end with an opportunity to tie the game. We’ve got to execute better in that situation, and that starts with me.”
LSU HC Lane Kiffin
Jones was LSU’s most consistent offensive weapon, rushing 23 times for 106 yards and a touchdown. Leavitt completed 16 of 27 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 63 rushing yards and another score. Green led LSU with four receptions for 60 yards but did leave the game with a right leg injury.
Ole Miss outgained LSU 426-330 and finished with 25 first downs. The Rebels threw for 363 yards against an LSU defense that had looked dominant through the first two games.
Afterward, Kiffin also addressed his emotional return to the program he led for six seasons.
“I’m very appreciative of my time here and the people here, If I did anything through this process that hurt people or made people feel a certain way, I apologize for that.”
LSU HC Lane Kiffin
LSU showed plenty of fight by erasing a 17-point deficit on the road, but its slow start and failure to finish in the red zone proved costly. Kiffin nearly completed a memorable comeback against his former program. Instead, Chambliss and the Rebels delivered the final blow and handed LSU its first loss of the Kiffin era.
The LSU Tigers will look to bounce back at home against Texas A&M next Saturday.